Nollywood Babylon

Cast

Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen

Crew

Directed by Samir Mallal and Ben Addelman

NOLLYWOOD BABYLON chronicles the wild world of
“Nollywood,” a term coined in the early
‘90s to describe the world’s fastest-growing
national cinema, surpassed only by its Indian counterpart. The film
delves first-hand into Nigeria’s explosive homegrown movie
industry, where Jesus and voodoo vie for screen time. Lancelot Oduwa
Imasuen, known in Lagos as “Da Governor,” is one of
the most influential men in Nollywood. Undeterred by miniscule budgets,
Da Governor is one of a cadre of resourceful filmmakers creating a
garish, imaginative, and wildly popular form of B-movie that has
frenzied fans begging for more. Among the bustling stalls of
Lagos’s Idumato market, films are sold, and budding stars are
born. Creating stories that explore the growing battle between
traditional mysticism and modern culture, good versus evil, witchcraft
and Christianity, Nollywood auteurs have mastered a down-and-dirty,
straight-to-video production formula that has become the industry
standard in a country plagued by poverty. This burgeoning Nigerian film
industry is tapping a national identity where proud Africans are
telling their own stories to a public hungry to see their lives on
screen. Peppered with outrageously juicy movie clips and buoyed by a
rousing score fusing Afropop and traditional sounds, NOLLYWOOD BABYLON
celebrates the distinctive power of Nigerian cinema as it marvels in
the magic of movies.

Awards

Interested in bringing Nollywood Babylon to your school or library?
If you'd like to have an in-class viewing, on-campus screening, or purchase the DVD for
your library's collection, please contact Estelle Grosso at EDU@kinolorber.com or call
(212) 629-6880 with your request.